Singapore’s veteran diplomat Bilahari Kausikan said he was surprised by Malaysia’s new trade deal with the United States, describing several provisions as giving Washington undue influence over Malaysia’s trade policies and even potentially constraining the bumiputra policy. While he called Mahathir Mohamad’s criticism predictable, Bilahari said the agreement’s depth was surprising. He was commenting on a Malaysiakini Facebook post linking to the article:
Dr M slams US-M’sia trade deal, accuses govt of selling out sovereignty
“But I was surprised that Malaysia agreed to some provisions that seem to give the US a veto over some aspects of Malaysian trade policy, limit its freedom of manoeuvre in other aspects, and could even be interpreted as placing restraints on the bumiputra policy.”
Malaysia-US Trade Deal
Critics including Zaid Ibrahim urged Opposition MPs to demand the deal’s revocation, while Tengku Zafrul claimed Malaysia faced tariff hikes of up to 100 per cent if it refused. Detractors accused Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Zafrul of capitulating to US pressure and betraying Malaysia’s autonomy.
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Bilahari Kausikan is a retired Singaporean diplomat, academic, and civil servant known for his long career in Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). He served as the Permanent Secretary of the MFA, Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and as Ambassador to the Russian Federation. He is now the Chairman of the Middle East Institute (MEI) at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
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